The tension of watching and waiting, wondering whether our boys would actually make it to that score of 352…
…has been replaced with the tension of wondering why there’s black smoke coming from the bambalapitiya/wellawatte area; why there were sirens blaring; why there are people standing about outside offices…
…and the biggest questions - what’s happened? why? what happens next?
With a title like that and the words “Learn how your character flaws could give you some real advantages in the workplace.” right below, how could I possibly resist clicking on the link that would help me “Get the full 2006 Careers Guide, free“?
I was then met with the usual marketing tool of signing up before I actually get my hands on the goods.
While filling in my details, I noticed something strange at the bottom: I had been presented with what could be called a Hobson’s choice - I could either get the guide and then receive email from the publishers, or nothing at all.
Being the sort who generally tries to get only that which I want, I de-selected the check box and clicked “submit”.
Oh. That’s very interesting. It reads (click on the image for larger version):
The form was not submitted because of the following error(s).
Please correct these error(s) and resubmit.- The following required field(s) are empty :
I wish to receive relevant information from New Scientist and Reed Elsevier in the future:
To cut a long story short, I was interested in the guide so I went ahead and clicked “yes” and submitted these details.
After that I was redirected to an online copy of the guide. I would’ve preferred a downloadable pdf that I could read whenever I wanted, but hey, that’s not the point.
The point is, was this permission marketing? If we check with the wikipedia, we find that
Permission marketing is a term used in e-marketing. Marketers will ask permission before they send advertisements to prospective customers. It is used by some Internet marketers, email marketers, and telephone marketers. It requires that people first “opt-in”, rather than allowing people to “opt-out” only after the advertisements have been sent.
Why would people offering me a “free” guide want to know my email address and then send me “relevant information”? I think it’d have something to do with marketing their products at a later date. If so, why wasn’t I given the opportunity to opt-out at the very beginning?
I mean, what would Seth say?
I just finished watching the greatest one day cricket match ever played.
I’m beyond words. The closest I can get would be: “abso-effin’-lutely incredible”. But even that doesn’t quite cut it.
Thank you, ESPN, Cricinfo.
My initial days at Vesess, were just a little traumatic for me, due to the fact that all the monitors were so good with their colours. Compared with my own monitor at home…
I didn’t really notice it earlier. Perhaps games were meant to be played that way - where the road was more a matter of faith than anything else. Or perhaps the photos I got actually were dark and it wasn’t just my imagination.
Incredibly, that’s not the case. Gamers around the world have had problems with either their monitors or their graphics cards or even the games themselves. So much so that there are gamma adjustment software.
Having found one such software, I thought I’d share it with you. Who knows, you might discover some good use for it.
Just check out the IPGamma software from IPlay. It’s a handy little software that sits in your (Windows) system tray and allows a little Ctrl+Alt manipulation of your monitor’s gamma settings.
So if you’ll excuse me - there are colours and details I shall be seeing for the first time…
update - September 3, 2007: It seems the IPGamma software is no longer available at the location mentioned. Even worse, I’ve lost the only copy of the file that I had. Another option available is Powerstrip, available from En Tech Taiwan
Since it’s Poya holiday today, I’m home and able to do some much needed upgrades that I had meant to do for some time.
First of all, I decided to upgrade to the latest version of WordPress - version 2.0 to be exact. The new version didn’t give too much trouble, except for when I didn’t really follow instruction about overwriting the old files. But now things are done and I’m running WordPress 2.0. Quite a lot of new functions, most of which would be familiar to anyone who’s got a blog at Wordpress.com.
Also, I’ve been meaning to upgrade my exsting version of Firefox on Breezy. Sadly, there doesn’t seem to be a package available in the repositories. After some searches and abortive attempts at installing the latest version (including losing my existing copy), I found that the best thing to do was Installing Firefox from mozilla.com which worked fine for me.
Now things seem ok, but there is some occasional bugginess. Ah well, more likely my own meddling under the hood than anything else.
So that’s it for now. Both new versions seem to be running fine (aforementioned bugginess aside). Nevertheless, I kinda liked the old Wordpress interface - but perhaps I’ll get to like the new one with time…
I am still alive. And occasionally kicking. Contrary to what my pals might think.
Of course, subsequent to my shift away from full time participation in being part of (arguably) Sri Lanka’s best web design firm, I’ve had my laziness at posting compounded by a lack of time and inspiration.
So I have decided to make this post to share with you a little piece of Sri Lankan innovation:
I normally catch a bus headed into Colombo from the outstations, since they don’t stop at too many halts and have more courteous (no, seriously) conductors. This photo was taken in a bus that travels from Matara to Colombo and back. The journey likely takes around five hours, if you consider the traffic and bus stops.
So what do these people do on these long journeys? They watch VCD movies.
This is in a Viking Leyland bus, most commonly known for loud horns, thundering along the roads with little concern for road rules, passenger comfort or general safety.
Given that reputation, I was pleasantly surprised that this particular bus (or rather its owners) had taken an innovative step towards making life interesting for its passengers.
I wonder whether they charge extra depending on the movie being played.
My regular travel via the privatised modes of public transport is almost the only time that I ever listen to the radio anymore. The fact that this is almost entirely against my will and at ear-splitting volume only means that I either complain and earn the ire of my fellow travellers, or resign myself to total deafness. And Monday evening entertainment on the radio seems to pander to some very strange tastes…
Recently in keeping with the election aura permeating Sri Lankan society, two radio stations began a poster campaign - each claiming to be “The No. 1″ station as per the public’s manape. Since the private bus operators of the country are my only link to these stations, I’m not able to verify the claim.
Anyway, here I am on Monday evening on my way home at around 7pm. I have the misfortune to get a seat directly under a speaker in the private bus I got into. The station being tuned into is one of the two aforesaid ones, playing some pretty catchy tunes. So no complaints, except for the incredible volume that is threatening my ear-drums.
A female voice earnestly (in Sinhala) welcomes the listener to a “show” - a show about the cruel twists of fate, about the wicked ways of real life - all the way upto 10pm. Hmmm….
Then, to my utter shock, everyone listening in (or able to discern anything from the loud volume) is subjected to the story - acted out with dialogue and sound effects - of a young, possibly underaged female in some remote part of the country being drugged and raped by two men.
Why my shock? The “show” is a radio drama “based on a true story” that relates this sordid tale in 3-4 minute bursts. To liven up the otherwise dreary and cruel story, the 3-4 minute bursts are separated by lively songs, which judging from the number of times they’re played - are quite popular.
Somehow, “Rape of an underaged girl, to the accompaniment of Sri Lanka’s hit music” doesn’t sound like the most appealing of radio shows to listen to. Fine, so the sound effects were not exactly very graphic, but still??
Needless to say, I’m very disturbed by this.
As I got off the bus, I wasn’t so much consumed by a curiosity to know what the rest of the story was about, but a sense of bewilderment at the things people will do…
It’s weird. I like the service I get from HSBC. I don’t bother them very much. I have friends who work there.
So why should they (the local branch) have a problem with me switching to a more secure and less crash-prone operating system/web browser?
When I took up my first intern/trainee job, one of the things I did was get an HSBC card. Not only did it look good, but it also meant that come payday, I would be one of the lucky people to get my hands on the cash first. The others would have to wait a day or two longer before their allowance was in their accounts. So I’m happy.
But I stopped using Internet Explorer and switched to Opera. Bad move. The Internet Banking facility doesn’t work for me. But thankfully Firefox came along and things were ok.
Fast forward to 2005: I’ve switched completely to Linux when it comes to surfing the net. This is because I’m paranoid about spyware/adware/zombie networks and frankly I haven’t the faintest of confidence in Internet Explorer’s security.
And then I try to access MY account via Internet Banking. No dice. Opera (even with “Identify as Internet Explorer” enabled) doesn’t work. Neither does Firefox.
I’m told that
To access internet banking, please use
- Internet Explorer version 5.0 or above; or
- Netscape Communicator version 4.72 or above (version 6.x currently not supported)
What gives?
So I inform the bank of the issue. This I do on September 12, 2005.
I get the following reply on September 15, 2005:
We refer to your mail of 12 September 2005.
Please be informed that we have taken your request to consideration and are looking at the possibilty of enabling Linux Users to login to our Internet Banking Service.
However we wish to inform you that we are not preventing any users of Linux from accessing the Internet Banking Facility.
Right.
It’s become common knowledge that Microsoft’s Windows OS and Internet Explorer browser aren’t exactly the most secure software in the world. Even if the developers manage to patch the security holes, the very fact that Windows/IE are so popular the world over make them ideal targets for hackers. This was common knowledge ages ago - that’s why alternate browsers have been able to make such an impact in the global internet community.
While I agree that there is no silver bullet for surfing on the web, I feel that institutions shouldn’t place restrictions on how people access the information they put on the web.
A little searching led me to this email at the Lanka Linux User Group(LKLUG) that seems to discuss the problems in the JavaScript code at the site that seems to restrict users. Note the date: July 19, 2005.
I’m not a coder, but according to the email, it seems that the web site doesn’t consider Linux as an operating system that the potential visitor might be using.
It’s been more than three months since the LKLUG have figured out what’s wrong with the web site’s code. So how come the problem hasn’t been fixed yet?
Ah well.
For anyone interested, there’s a workaround (thanks to Chamindra) . The simplest method (which I’m using now) is to download the User Agent Switcher and install it on Firefox.
UPDATE: As of late 2007, the HSBC site got revamped and now supports internet banking with many different browsers. I have so far had success with Firefox, Opera and Safari (on Windows).
Sometime back, I was in Habarana wondering how so many barber shops so close together could still stay in business. Apparently, they were just managing - but only just. According to an accounts guy from one of the “big” hotels in the area with whom I spoke, whenever someone starts something new in the area, everyone else who’s jobless follows suit. While that situ might’ve changed (haven’t been there in quite a while *sigh*) it seems that copying good ideas is a global thing.
From the 28th of August 2005, the Million Dollar Homepage has been selling pixel property for advertising - 01 US dollar for one pixel. With the subsequent publicity, he’s managed to sell 495,300 pixels at the time of writing. That’s $495,300 in less than two months!!
Let’s put that into perspective. Assuming around 100 SL rupees to the US Dollar, that’s 49,530,000 rupees. [feeling just a *little* green around the gills now].
I mean, how much easier can it get to earn money? This guy deserves all the credit and attention he’s getting for coming up with something so innovative.
Then there are the people who try to work on this idea. Alex has something to say about that on his blog.
Doing a search on google for the Million dollar homepage led me to the 50 million dollar website from a Google Ad. This guy’s giving out $1000 to the people who buy the most pixels on his site.
Hmmmm….
Moving on from my previous post, I was going to blog about something that crossed my mind while typing it last night. However, it seems Morquendi has beaten me to it on Nittewa.
My point being - what defines your identity?
I spoke to some friends of mine. Apparently, whatever the scholars say, most average people seem to equate identity with name, ethnicity, nationality or religion in most cases. And it would seem that many people will pass judgement on others based on these labels… a practice that has been carried forward throughout human history.
He hath disgraced me, and hindered me half a million; laughed at my losses, mocked at my pains, scorned my nation, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies; and what’s his reason? I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die?
- Shylock, from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice
The labels we give to distinguish ourselves have hardly ever been used for a good purpose. But what bothers me is how these archaic labels still exist in our global village. Why is it that even at a time when we are so clearly able to see that the biggest differences among us are figments, we continue to revel in these labels, directing hate and passing judgement on those we feel are different from us?
Maybe a few hundreds of years ago, when travel between nations was rare and multi-cultural towns were exclusively sea-ports or trading posts, the labels had more meaning than they have today.
How do you define someone’s ethnicity today? DNA testing - or do you take their word for it? Does following a particular religion mean you have the right to put down the followers of another religion?
What about the people who are born into a race or religion they don’t like? Are these matters of personal choice or social custom?
What if you were born abroad, in a country different from that of your parents’ home - but were brought up in a totally different country? What would be your nationality?
Personally, I’m proud to be Sri Lankan. I’m proud of what my ancestors achieved in the past.
But I will not be defined by society’s whims or the ruins of my ancestors. Frankly, I’d rather just be me. I will define who I am by my actions. I’m thankful to my friends, who by being themselves and constantly challenging my beliefs, help me maintain my individuality. Maybe I’m being an idealist, but I would rather be an idealist seeker of the truth than a hypocrite defined by the company he keeps.
